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Red Wings Reassign Dominik Shine

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The Red Wings have assigned winger Dominik Shine to AHL Grand Rapids, per a club announcement. Their active roster is now at 24 with 13 healthy forwards.

Shine has played sparingly as of late, only suiting up in one of Detroit’s past eight contests. That came after four straight appearances coming out of the trade deadline. While routinely serving as the sole press box forward in case of injury, the Wings are getting Elmer Söderblom back in the lineup against the Hurricanes tonight and thus no longer need the insurance Shine’s presence provided. Söderblom had missed five of the last six games with an undisclosed injury.

Shine, 31, landed his first NHL contract earlier this season. He’s spent the entirety of his professional career in the Detroit organizations on AHL contracts with Grand Rapids – needless to say, patience finally paid off for the Michigan native. It was a two-year, two-way pact, so he’ll remain eligible for call-ups in 2025-26.

The 5’11” winger has suited up nine times for Detroit this year, recording an assist, a minus-one rating, and 15 PIMs. He’s averaged just 8:39 per game but has been a physical factor in a fourth-line role with 16 hits. Offensively, he only managed five shots on goal on eight attempts and controlled 42.2% of shot attempts at even strength.

Barring further injuries to the Wings’ NHL forward group, Shine will finish the season back in Grand Rapids. He’s tied for second on the club in scoring with 11-26–37 in 53 games, trailing only AHL veteran Joe Snively and tied with fellow recent call-up Austin Watson, who sticks around as the extra forward for now.

Canadiens Sign Jacob Fowler To Entry-Level Contract

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April 4: Montreal made Fowler’s signing official this morning. PuckPedia has the terms of his deal, which carries a cap hit of $923K:

2025-26: $775K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $80K games played bonus
2026-27 + 2027-28: $885K NHL salary, $95K signing bonus, $500K Schedule ’A’ performance bonus

April 3: The Montreal Canadiens are expected to announce the signing of star goalie prospect Jacob Fowler to a three-year, entry-level contract beginning in the 2025-26 season on Friday. The move was first reported by Marco D’Amico of Responsible Gambler. It was seconded by PuckPedia and sources available to PHR. The move was also mentioned as the likeliest outcome by Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic on Wednesday. In alignment with LeBrun’s thoughts, PuckPedia has added that Fowler is expected to finish the season on a try-out agreement with the AHL’s Laval Rocket.

Fowler is near the very top of the list for best goalie prospects currently outside of North American pros. He’s been a terror in every league he’s played in, dating back to his junior debut with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. Fowler moved to the USHL after growing up through Florida Alliance AAA and Selects Academy AAA – two programs with little in the way of superstar alums during his tenure. But he came into the USHL with full force, recording a tremendous 11-4-1 record and .927 save percentage in his first 18 USHL games playing in the latter half of Youngstown’s season. That mark continues to stand as the highest save percentage of any U18 goalie in USHL history, among those with more than 15 games played.

Fowler followed up his record-breaking introduction to the USHL with a legacy season in 2022-23. He posted an incredible 27-9-3 record and .921 save percentage through 40 games that season while leading Youngstown to a clear spot in the USHL playoffs. Not to be outdone, Fowler became a Youngstown legend in the postseason – recording an incredible 8-1-0 record and .952 save percentage in nine games played to lead the Phantoms to the first Clark Cup Championship in franchise history. He earned the USHL’s Goalie of the Year and Playoff MVP awards for his performances. More importantly, the Montreal Canadiens also landed Fowler with the 69th-overall pick in the ensuing 2023 NHL Draft. He was the sixth goalie off the board that year, after the second round saw Adam Gajan, Michael Hrabal, Trey Augustine, Carson Bjarnason, and Damian Clara all taken off the board.

With this move, Fowler becomes the third goaltender of his class to sign their first pro contract. He earned that deal with two fantastic seasons behind a loaded Boston College after his draft selection. Fowler stepped immediately into the Eagles’ starting role as a freshman last season and made them look genius for the decision. He only lost seven games on the season – posting a 32-6-1 record and a .926 save percentage in 39 games played. That performance earned Fowler the Hockey East ’Goaltender of the Year’ award, making him the first freshman to take home the hardware since Cayden Primeau in 2017-18. Primeau was himself the first freshman to win since Connor Hellebuyck in 2012-13 and Thatcher Demko in 2013-14.

In natural fashion, Fowler found a way to improve his performance this year. Behind a slightly weaker BC lineup, he recorded a 25-7-2 record and a .940 save percentage in 35 games. That was the second-highest save percentage of the college hockey season, behind only Alexander Tracy of Minnesota State. The brick-wall performance earned Fowler a unanimous vote for Hockey East’s ’Goalie of the Year’ award this season, making him just the fourth goalie to ever win it in back-to-back years and the latest since Primeau.

It is that momentum that Fowler will bring into his first pro games in the Montreal organization. But he might have even more reason to prove his worth after attending in person the NHL debut of BC teammates Ryan Leonard and Gabriel Perreault. Fowler will need the extra oomph to win out ice time on a Laval roster currently being spearheaded by none other than Cayden Primeau. The former Hockey East superstar Primeau has recorded a fantastic 19-2-1 record and .922 save percentage in 22 AHL games this season, though his year has been held just shy of truly spectacular by a .836 save percentage in 11 NHL games. Nonetheless, Primeau will be the Rocket’s clear-cut starter for the remaining nine games in their regular season.

That means Fowler will be in contention with backups Connor Hughes and Luke Cavallin for ice time. Hughes has posted a stout 15-11-3 record and .906 save percentage in 28 games – earning the edge in most games played on the team while Primeau was with the NHL lineup. Cavallin hasn’t been nearly as exciting, with a 1-1-0 record and a .897 save percentage in three AHL games. With plenty of hype behind him, Fowler shouldn’t have a problem earning one or two games before the end of the year. Should he perform well, he could quickly become a glue guy for a Laval team with high playoff hopes in mind. The Rocket rank on top of the AHL with 92 points as the season is drawing to a close and will be a favorite to go the distance – especially after they add a star prospect with a rich history of taking home multiple pieces of hardware.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Sabres Recall Noah Östlund

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The Sabres announced they’ve recalled 2022 first-round pick Noah Östlund from AHL Rochester. The 21-year-old forward could be in line to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Lightning. Center Tyson Kozak sustained a lower-body injury in Tuesday’s win over the Senators and is day-to-day, so assuming Jordan Greenway and Joshua Norris remain sidelined tomorrow as well, Buffalo needed to make a recall from Rochester to give them 12 healthy forwards.

The promotion comes amid a vital season developmentally for Östlund. It’s his first in North America after logging his previous professional experience in his home country of Sweden, and the adjustment across the Atlantic has been smooth. The 5’11” pivot has missed a chunk of the year with an injury but still ranks fifth on Rochester in scoring with 19-17–36 in 44 games, leading their forwards with a +20 rating.

His game’s hallmarks – speed, playmaking, and defensive acumen – have been on display. His lack of size means he topped out at No. 5 in Buffalo’s prospect rankings by Scott Wheeler of The Athletic in January, but he still tabbed him as a top-100 prospect (No. 90) league-wide. He’s done what he’s needed to do so far to reaffirm his ceiling as a second or third-line center for the Sabres in a couple of years, a position they’re looking to fill out after trading away Dylan Cozens and Casey Mittelstadt in back to back seasons.

Östlund was one of three first-round picks Buffalo held in 2022 – their own, the Golden Knights’ (acquired in the Jack Eichel trade), and the Panthers’ (acquired in the Sam Reinhart trade). They selected Östlund with the Vegas pick at No. 16, using their own selection to select Matthew Savoie and Florida’s pick to select Jiri Kulich. Savoie has since been flipped to the Oilers for Ryan McLeod, while Kulich has 14-7–21 in 54 games with the Sabres in his rookie outing in 2024-25. Early returns are strong on all three of those selections yielding players with lengthy NHL careers.

Where he slots in the lineup to begin his NHL career remains unclear, but he could replace Kozak in an insulated fourth-line role between Sam Lafferty and Beck Malenstyn. He still has two seasons left on his entry-level contract, so he won’t be a restricted free agent until 2027.

Image courtesy of Marc DesRosiers-Imagn Images.

Capitals Recall Hunter Shepard

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The Capitals have recalled goaltender Hunter Shepard from AHL Hershey, the team announced today. The move comes after No. 1 netminder Logan Thompson left Wednesday’s loss to the Hurricanes with an upper-body injury after the first period and did not return. He’ll presumably miss tonight’s clash with the Blackhawks while Shepard backs up Charlie Lindgren.

With the playoffs just over two weeks away, an injury scare to Washington’s breakout star between the pipes is far from good news. Thompson will almost certainly be a Vezina Trophy finalist in the coming weeks, ranking ninth in the NHL with a 2.49 GAA and .910 SV% while placing second in the league with 26.0 goals saved above expected, per MoneyPuck. He’s run cold as of late, logging a .780 SV% in his last three outings, but has a remarkable 31-6-6 record on the year and put pen to paper on a six-year, $35.1MM extension in January.

The Caps haven’t issued a timeline for his return and he’s still being evaluated, so there should be more clarity on Thompson’s absence in the coming days. In the interim, the 29-year-old Shepard is an intriguing third-string option for Washington. He made his NHL debut last season, posting a 2-1-1 record with a .894 SV% and 3.19 GAA in four spot starts throughout the campaign. An undrafted free agent signing by Hershey out of the University of Minnesota-Duluth back in 2020, he’s in the back half of the two-year, two-way deal he signed with the Caps in 2023 and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.

Shepard’s big-league debut came amid one of the more decorated seasons we’ve seen from an AHL netminder in quite some time. He was unquestionably the top goalie in minor hockey in 2023-24, leading the league in GAA (1.76) and SV% (.929) while taking home the league’s Baz Bastien Memorial Award for the top goaltender. Naturally, he was awarded a First All-Star Team nod and helped guide Hershey to its second straight Calder Cup championship.

However, his numbers have cratered in 2024-25. In 37 appearances, Shepard has a 2.81 GAA, .891 SV% and three shutouts. That’s still good for a 22-11-3 record behind a strong skater core in Hershey, but it’s a far cry from the outright dominance he’s shown in previous years – enough to call into question whether Washington will offer him a new deal this offseason. With a playoff berth locked up, he could still see some NHL action down the stretch in order to allow Lindgren and Thompson rest ahead of the postseason, though.

Evening Notes: Mrazek, Soderblom, Holloway, Stastney

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The Detroit Red Wings received split injury updates early on Thursday. Head coach Todd McLellan shared that goaltender Petr Mrazek will continue to sit out with a head injury, but that winger Elmer Soderblom could return from his undisclosed injury on Friday, per Max Bultman of The Athletic. Both players have missed Detroit’s last four games.

The Red Wings have maintained a duo of Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon while Mrazek’s been absent – the same tandem they ran before acquiring Mrazek at the Trade Deadline. Talbot has returned to the starting role after briefly missing time in March – and quickly found a hot streak. He’s posted a .922 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average in four games since returning – though the low numbers have only led to a 1-2-1 record. His performances have lifted up Alex Lyon’s struggles as of late, with a 1-4-0 record and .843 save percentage in his last five games. Detroit will hope that pair continues to balance each other out as they continue to chase the Eastern Conference Wild Card.

Meanwhile, Soderblom will return looking to find his spark again after netting two goals in his last three games before injury. The pair doubled Soderblom’s year-long totals up to that point, pushing him to four goals and 10 points in 23 games this season. The six-foot-eight winger is playing through his rookie season in the NHL, though he did appear in 21 games and score eight points last season. He’ll step back into a role in Detroit’s bottom-six when he’s good to go.

Other notes from around the league:

  • St. Louis Blues winger Dylan Holloway exited their Thursday night game against the Pittsburgh Penguins before the second period with a lower-body injury. He appeared to sustain the injury on a check from Penguins rookie Rutger McGroarty early in the first period. Holloway has been a major proponent of St. Louis’ 10-game winning streak. He’s scored 15 points across the streak, and was riding an 11-game scoring streak of his own before the early exit. That scoring brought Holloway up to 26 goals and 63 points in 77 games this season. Any missed games as a result of this injury would be his first as a Blue.
  • Across the Central Division, the Nashville Predators were without defenseman Spencer Stastney for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Stars due to an upper-body injury. He was slated to serve as the team’s seventh dressed defenseman in the matchup, but in his absence, the Predators decided to instead promote rookie forward Ozzy Wiesblatt to the rotation. Stastney has tallied three points, all assists, in 22 games this season and filled a minimal role in Nashville’s lineup as of late.

Kraken Reassign Ryan Winterton

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4/3: The Kraken have reassigned Winterton to the minor leagues after he started in the team’s Wednesday night win over Vancouver. He recorded 12:22 in ice time and no scoring in the shutout victory.

4/2: The Kraken announced late last night that they’d recalled right-winter Ryan Winterton from AHL Coachella Valley under emergency conditions. While it’s unclear who, it looks like they have a couple of question marks up front as they kick off a road trip that will take them up to their final two games of the season.

If he’s needed tonight against the Canucks, he’ll be making his first NHL appearance since Dec. 17. A 2021 third-round pick, Winterton has logged 17 showings for the Kraken over the past two years. The 21-year-old has only one assist to his name and a minus-eight rating. He averaged 9:49 per game and has poor possession numbers, controlling 44.5% of shot attempts and 45.9% of expected goals at even strength despite starting 55.7% of his shifts in the offensive zone.

The 6’2″ winger has looked good in the minors, though. Through two professional seasons with the Firebirds, he’s posted 39-31–70 in 111 games with a +34 rating, working out to 0.63 points per game. His offensive pace has jumped slightly this season, recording 35 points in 53 games after hitting that mark in 58 appearances in 2023-24. He ranks fifth on Coachella Valley in scoring.

Winterton is the No. 7 prospect in the Kraken’s system, per Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, likely topping out as a defensively responsible third-line winger with some scoring upside. He’s got another year left on his entry-level contract with a cap hit of $828,333 and will be a restricted free agent in 2026.

Injury Notes: Tkachuk, Guenther, Thrun, Penguins

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The Ottawa Senators will be without team captain Brady Tkachuk for a second straight game on Thursday night per Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Citizen. Senators head coach Travis Green told Garrioch that there was no update on Tkachuk’s injury after his first missed game. The top-line forward continues to carry a day-to-day injury designation after sustaining an upper-body injury in the overtime period of Ottawa’s Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Ottawa suffered a tough 5-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres without Tkachuk on Tuesday. Fabian Zetterlund held onto a top-line role, and David Perron into a second-line role, in Tkachuk’s absence. Perron has managed four goals and five points over his last 10 games, while Zetterlund has recorded just one assist – hardly enough to make up for Tkachuk’s 11 points in 15 games since the start of march. The Senators’ captain is up to 29 goals and 55 points in 71 games on the season. Tkachuk is on pace for 64 points on the season – which would be the lowest he’s scored since breaking out with 67 points in the 2021-22 campaign. But even in a down year, the Senators will need to find a way to make up for Tkachuk’s net-front presence in his absence. They currently have a firm grip of the Eastern Conference’s first Wild Card.

Other notes from around the league:

  • Utah Hockey Club forward Dylan Guenther is going to stick in the lineup despite breaking his nose in Tuesday night’s loss to the Florida Panthers, shares Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune. Guenther took a puck to the face but opted to play through Tuesday’s game, telling Fraser after that his nose is a far away from his legs after the game. He added earlier today that he had to get nine stitches and that his breathing is at about 70 percent, but neither fact will hold him out of the lineup on Thursday. Guenther has three points in his last five games, and a dazzling 26 goals and 52 points in 63 games this season. He stands as Utah’s leading goal scorer – at the young age of 21 – and should continue to contribute to Utah’s playoff race. Utah currently sits nine points out of the Western Conference’s second Wild Card, with one game in hand.
  • San Jose Sharks defenseman Henry Thrun has confirmed that he’ll be returning to the lineup on Thursday, per Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now. Thrun has been out of the lineup since February 27th with an upper-body injury, save for making a spot start on March 8th where he reaggravated his injury. Thrun was finding his NHL legs in the games leading up to his injury, and even played in a career-high 24 minutes of action in San Jose’s February 24th loss to the Winnipeg Jets. He’s recorded 10 points, 30 penalty minutes, and a minus-16 in 52 games this season. Those marks fall just narrowly shy of his 11 points, 16 penalty minutes, and a minus-22 in 51 games last season. Thrun is expected to return to San Jose’s third pair alongside veteran Marc-Edouard Vlasic on Thursday.
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins embarked on a three-game road trip on Thursday. They brought with them star Evgeni Malkin, who hasn’t played since March 23rd, while leaving behind Thomas Novak and Pierre-Olivier Joseph, per Penguins play-by-play voice Josh Getzoff. The pair of depth skaters will be forced to miss the next few games with undisclosed injuries. In the meantime, Malkin will look to make his return on Pittsburgh’s final multi-game road trip of the season. He’s continued to be a force in the Penguins lineup, with 15 goals and 46 points in 62 games this season. That’s the lowest scoring pace of Malkin’s career, though he still ranks fifth on the team in total scoring. Of the missing duo, only Joseph has managed a point – netting one assist in 24 games -while Novak has no scoring in two games with Pittsburgh. With two holes to fill, Pittsburgh is expected to enter Joona Koppanen and Ryan Shea back into the lineup.

Hurricanes Recall Justin Robidas

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The Hurricanes announced they’ve recalled center Justin Robidas from AHL Chicago. The 5’8″ pivot could be in line to make his NHL debut tomorrow against the Red Wings.

Robidas, 22, was a fifth-round pick by Carolina in the 2021 draft. The son of longtime NHL defenseman Stéphane Robidas is in his second professional season but just his first in the AHL. He spent all of 2023-24 on loan to ECHL Norfolk, while the Canes spent the year without a dedicated AHL affiliate.

The smooth-skating playmaker has done well in his first look in the high-level minors. After posting a strong 12-15–27 scoring line in 32 ECHL games last season, he’s posted 17-31–48 in 65 AHL appearances and ranks third on the team in scoring. Before turning pro in 2023, he posted 95-144–239 in 223 major junior games in the QMJHL across four seasons, winning a league title and Memorial Cup with the Quebec Remparts in his final campaign.

While skilled, his size will remain a factor he needs to overcome to make a meaningful NHL adjustment. Because of that, he’s not viewed as a true impact prospect in Carolina’s middle-of-the-road pipeline. Scott Wheeler of The Athletic tabbed Robidas as the No. 13 prospect in the Canes’ system in his midseason rankings, calling out his defensive intelligence in addition to his high-level scoring skill at lower levels of the game. The latter will be hard to display in NHL minutes, especially down the middle, but there’s a path for him to carve out as a bottom-six energy piece over the coming years.

The Canes have William Carrier and Jordan Staal sidelined with injuries at present, explaining the opportunity for Robidas to join the streaking Hurricanes’ NHL roster. He’s got another year left on his entry-level deal and will be a restricted free agent in 2026.

Islanders’ Anthony Duclair Takes Leave Of Absence

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Islanders winger Anthony Duclair is out indefinitely after taking a personal leave of absence from the club, head coach Patrick Roy told reporters today (including Stefen Rosner of NHL.com).

Duclair wasn’t at this morning’s practice. After the Isles dropped a 4-1 game against the Lightning on Tuesday to extend their winless streak to six, Roy called Duclair’s performance postgame “god-awful” and said he was “lucky to be in the lineup.” Today, Roy told the media that “Anthony and I had a very good conversation, a very positive one, and Anthony asked me to take some time off and reflect. So, obviously, I agreed to that, and we’ll give him all the time that he needs.”

The 29-year-old simply hasn’t meshed on Long Island and with Roy, his head coach from his junior days with the Quebec Remparts. He negotiated himself a four-year, $14MM deal last summer to join the Isles on the opening day of free agency and even started the year on the top line alongside Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. A leg injury sustained in his fifth game of the season derailed his campaign, though, keeping him on the sidelines for two months. Horvat inferred today that Duclair had also sustained a groin injury – either on the initial play or during his recovery today – that’s bothered him since his return.

As a result, Duclair’s production has been the worst of his career, even when grading it out on a per-game basis. He’s scored just 7-4–11 through 44 games with a -15 rating, the worst among Islanders forwards, while averaging a shade over 15 minutes per game.

Now in his 11th NHL season, Duclair’s shown the ability to be a strong complementary top-six winger when given other offensive weapons to play with. He excelled down the stretch in a top-line role for the Lightning last season after they acquired him from the Sharks at the deadline, posting 8-7–15 in just 17 games. He’s three years removed from a career-high 31-goal campaign in Florida, splitting time on the Panthers’ first and second lines that year. New York hoped he could provide that level of production in a first-line role, but injuries – not just to him, but to their shallow group of top-level offensive talents – have taken away that dream, at least for 2024-25.

With three years left on his deal, a reset in the relationship between the organization and Duclair is paramount. He carries a full no-trade clause through the 2025-26 campaign, although beginning July 1, 2026, Duclair can only block a move to 16 teams.

With eight games left in the Islanders’ season and their playoff chances down to 2% (per MoneyPuck), it stands to reason that Duclair is done for the year. That should mean extended top-six opportunities for wingers like Simon Holmström and Maxim Tsyplakov over the last couple of weeks of the campaign.

Will The Penguins Trade One Of Sidney Crosby’s Wingers?

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The Penguins have faced numerous challenges over the past few years – some regrettable trades and dwindling attendance. They’re on the verge of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season, following a remarkable streak of 16 straight postseason appearances from 2007 to 2022. This year will mark only the fourth time in captain Sidney Crosby’s illustrious 20-year career that he missed the playoffs. While many media pundits speculate about his desire to join a contender, Crosby has consistently expressed his commitment to finishing his career with the Penguins and being part of their future success. The organization seems eager to accommodate him, which raises an important question: Would the Penguins trade one of Crosby’s favorite wingers for a second time in the last 18 months?

Trading Rickard Rakell has been a consideration for the Penguins; reports indicate they sought a substantial return at the NHL Trade Deadline but ultimately decided to keep the 31-year-old winger for the remainder of the season. However, not trading him this year doesn’t preclude a potential deal during the summer. Rakell has three years left on his contract with a reasonable $5MM cap hit, and his value may never be higher than it is now. The Penguins could capitalize on this opportunity and accelerate their retooling efforts, but at what cost? Crosby would lose a preferred winger again, and the Penguins lack players in their system who could effectively replace Rakell.

General manager Kyle Dubas has indicated that the franchise does not want to bottom out. They fear the emergence of a losing culture affecting their players, a concern supported by the 2010 Edmonton Oilers’ repeated struggle to escape the bottom of the NHL standings despite multiple top-five picks.

For their part, the Penguins have said they are comfortable keeping Rakell. While that won’t please the fans hoping for a tank next season, it could ultimately help the Penguins’ youth movement, who will get to study the game under the tutelage of Crosby and Rakell.

If the Pens opt to go a different direction, Rakell could be traded for a haul and possibly even lead to an impact prospect, which is missing from the Penguins’ retool and is on Dubas’ radar (as per Josh Yohe of The Athletic). The Penguins GM has done well building the prospect pipeline, but Pittsburgh doesn’t have anyone in their system who screams franchise cornerstone. The other factor when considering a Rakell move is that he wasn’t good last season, tallying just 15 goals and 22 assists in 70 games. Should he fall back to that production level, his $5MM AAV looks less appealing, which would hurt his trade value and the Penguins’ potential return.

The other Crosby winger that the Penguins could consider moving is Bryan Rust. The 32-year-old has hovered around the point-per-game mark since 2019 and has three more years on his deal at a very economical $5.13MM per season. The Pontiac, Michigan native is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins and remains one of the last holdovers from the 2016 and 2017 teams that won back-to-back championships. Rust remains a heart and soul player for Pittsburgh, and like Rakell, his value might never be higher. Rust would likely be a more challenging trade for Pens fans to swallow, given that he was drafted and developed by the team and is viewed by many as a man who should be wearing a letter in Pittsburgh.

On the flip side, Rust would also bring a strong return to Pittsburgh and could help move the Penguins’ retool along. It’s not unreasonable to think they would get a first-round pick and a prospect or two for Rust, which makes holding onto him even more complicated, even though the Penguins are keeping their superstar captain happy in doing so.

The Penguins owe a lot to Crosby; some might say he saved the franchise in 2005. Some might also say Crosby is loyal to a fault, and given the evidence, it’s easy to see why. The 37-year-old has never taken market value on a contract, playing under an $8.7MM cap hit since the 2008-09 season, and has almost always kept himself out of team business except for the Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang contract negotiations in the summer of 2022. Crosby also watched his preferred winger, Jake Guentzel, get traded away last March without a complaint. He’s perhaps the most loyal athlete in professional sports history.

But, as mentioned earlier, the talk leading into the NHL Trade Deadline was once again about trading one of Crosby’s preferred wingers, Rakell. Rust has also been mentioned in trade rumors, and given that his entire no-move clause ends this summer, he could be a name that is moved. But what kind of a message would it send to the superstar center who has given his all to the Penguins?

Many hockey pundits have speculated on whether or not Crosby will finish his career in Pittsburgh. Still, Crosby has done everything he can to dispel those rumors, including signing a two-year extension last September. It is easy to question Crosby’s decision, given the direction of the Penguins during the previous three seasons and the roster’s current state. However, looking at what Dubas has done in the last 12 months, it’s not impossible to imagine the team returning to relevance before the end of Crosby’s aforementioned two-year extension that is set to start next season. With all of that being said, Pittsburgh is still in a retool that they refuse to call a rebuild, and Crosby still very much wants to win, which has made it difficult to embrace a rebuild fully and has put Dubas in a position where he can’t fully commit to a youth movement. Penguins’ ownership and management appear committed to the retooling strategy, and Crosby is also on board based on how he spoke to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast.

Regardless of who Dubas moves out, this offseason will be a franchise-defining one. They could push in and make aggressive moves over the next 12 months to try and get Crosby and the Penguins back into the playoff picture in what could be teammate Evgeni Malkin’s last season in the NHL.

The team could also continue gradually adding to their pipeline and draft picks. Either way, the Penguins are at a strange fork in the road as they try to navigate the past, the present, and the future of an organization that has had megastars and championships on the regular since the beginning of the 1990s.

Dubas must decide whether to retool around Sidney Crosby, which likely means keeping Rakell and Rust for one last run or leaning into a deeper rebuild that could see one or both of them sent away via trade. Whatever the case, it’s safe to assume spring and summer will bring a lot of trade winds for the Penguins, as they also have star defenseman Erik Karlsson, who will likely be traded.

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